Whether you are working as a counselor in mental health or if you are helping a patient at a hospital, understanding basic attending skills is a must.
Having basic attending skills under your belt can go a long way when it comes to providing proper hospitality to those you serve while also providing a better quality of life to those you tend to on a regular basis.
Using basic attending skills can help with facilitating effective communication and listening when working with or attempting to communicate directly with others.
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What are basic attending skills?
Basic attending skills are skills that are useful for effectively listening to others and knowing how to best communicate with them.
Basic attending skills can be useful in displaying empathy while also building a trustworthy relationship with clients and/or patients.
You can use basic attending skills at work and in everyday life when communicating with others.
What are the most common non-verbal components of basic attending skills?

When learning about basic attending skills, it is important to keep in mind that there are both verbal and non-verbal skills to be acquired and developed.
The most common non-verbal components of basic attending skills include:
Body language: The use of body language accounts for more than half of all communication between individuals. Whether subtly or obviously, body language is extremely telling when attempting to gauge how someone is feeling about a particular topic or individual. Body language is useful in basic attending skills as it helps to establish trust and boundaries. Leaning forward toward a client, mirroring behaviors, and even maintaining an attentive face or stance can help a client to feel more at ease when talking with you, especially if you are just getting to know one another.
Eye contact: Eye contact is important in everyday life, and it is no exception when using basic attending skills. Eye contact can help put someone at ease or it can cause them to feel anxious, intimidated, or upset, depending on their state of being as well as the cultural background they may come from. Knowing how to gauge when eye contact is appropriate and necessary can help with establishing a good rapport with any client or patient.
Vocal quality and tone: Your tone can let others know if you are happy, excited, angry, bored, frustrated, or even confused, which is why choosing your voice quality and tone is so important when it comes to non-verbal cues and attending skills. Pacing and tone should always be considered when having discussions with clients and patients to avoid triggering negative emotions or responses.
What verbal components are included in basic attending skills?
Along with non-verbal components involved in basic attending skills, there are also verbal components that should be considered in order to demonstrate your effective listening and communication skills to your own patients and clients.
Verbal tracking: One of the most important verbal components of basic attending skills includes verbal tracking. Verbal tracking involves using the process of mirroring with words to demonstrate your listening ability to a client. When a client is speaking, take note of the words and phrases they are using. Using the same or similar words can help reassure your client that you are listening to them and that you understand what they are saying.
Open Questions: Another important factor of basic attending skills when considering verbal components includes using open questions. Open questions such as encouraging head nods and affirmative sounds can help others to feel heard. Smiling while offering sounds and words of encouragement as a client is speaking or telling you a story can also help them to put their own minds at ease. The more at ease a client feels, the more likely they are to remain open and willing to communicate directly with you.
Encouraging: Encouraging can be both verbal as well as non-verbal, depending on the circumstances of the situation you are in and your client’s needs. Offering words of encouragement, head nods, claps, affirmations, and smiles can all indicate to a client that they are doing something right or that they are on the right track.
Which careers are most likely to require the use of basic attending skills?

The use of basic attending skills is commonplace among behavioral counselors, therapists, and psychiatrists or psychologists.
However, using basic attending skills is also necessary for most professionals working in the medical field as well as those working with patients or clients on a daily basis.
From teachers to nursing home attendees, having basic attending skills matters, especially when helping others is a top priority in your everyday life.
Is it useful to learn basic attending skills regardless of your career?
Yes, learning basic attending skills can help in almost all careers today.
Whether you work in a large office with hundreds of co-workers, in a small shop, or even at home with clients of your own, knowing how to effectively communicate and listen will help in many ways as a professional.
Some of the benefits of understanding basic attending skills include:
- The ability to read a room and gauge the emotions of others even when they are not speaking aloud
- The ability to read and pick up on body language to act and respond accordingly
- Listening skills that help you to become a better provider to clients and patients
- Empathy that allows you to better understand how your clients and patients feel each day
How can I become more familiar with basic attending skills in my everyday life?

If you want to improve your own basic attending skills, you can do so by getting involved with various courses, watching online videos, and even reading books and guides designed for those working with basic attending skills each day.
You can practice incorporating basic attending skills into your own life in conversations with co-workers, family members, and friends to help familiarize yourself with both verbal and non-verbal tactics that are most useful to you.
When should I be using the basic attending skills I have learned?
You can use basic attending skills when someone is looking for an open ear or someone to listen to them.
When someone is feeling down, struggling with a problem, or even feeling overwhelmed and stressed, you can use your basic attending skills to provide them with a sense of comfort.
Simply showing them that you are willing to listen to them and that you are truly hearing what they have to say can significantly impact how someone responds to a particular situation they have found themselves in.
The best ways to incorporate basic attending skills into your work and daily life

When you feel comfortable with your basic attending skills and you are ready to incorporate them into your daily life (both in and outside of work), there are a few ways to go about doing so regularly.
- Gauge the situation: Before deploying any of the basic attending skills you have learned and cultivated, it is important to first gauge the situation you are in and the type of communication those around you may need. Sizing up the situation can help you to better choose which attending skills are best for the conversation you are having or the person you are with at the time.
- Observe: Observe the client, patient, or even friend you are with to monitor their body language and the responses they give when talking with you. This will help to find the appropriate responses, especially when using basic attending skills.
- Use non-verbal cues: Using non-verbal basic attending skills can also help the person you are communicating with to feel more comfortable with what you have to say and the advice you give. Non-verbal cues can help others to feel at ease when discussing issues that are emotionally stressful and/or taxing to them.
- Use verbal skills: Once you have gauged the needs of the individual you are communicating with or listening to, you can then begin to use the verbal attending skills you have learned to provide them with the solutions or remedies they need.
What not to do with basic attending skills
Having basic attending skills can feel like a superpower, especially if you work with those in need on a regular basis.
However, as with anything, there is also a time and a place in which basic attending skills are appropriate as well as when they are not.
Some ways not to use the basic attending skills that you have developed include:
- Being too empathetic: While it is imperative for any counselor or therapist to lend an ear when listening to clients, it is also important not to go too far and empathize too much. Permitting self-destructive or harmful behavior is not listening to clients, it is enabling the behavior if you are in charge of helping others to live healthily and more positively.
- Oversharing: Oversharing as a therapist, counselor, or medical professional in any capacity is inappropriate and goes well beyond the boundaries of a working relationship. Although it is great to develop a good rapport with clients, it is important to do so while always abiding by rules and boundaries that are set in place in your workplace.
- Prying: At times, you may be curious to learn more about a client’s life outside of your sessions or meetings. However, it is advisable to avoid prying into a client’s life too much. Asking too much may cause a client to become increasingly comfortable with you, and it may cause boundary lines to become blurred.
How can I become even more skilled at my basic attending skills and abilities?

Enrolling in various courses and completing training classes provided by your own workplace are just a few ways to work on improving your basic attending skills and abilities.
You can also put the following tips to use whenever you are working with a client or patient of yours:
- Gauge whether or not it is appropriate to make eye contact with your client based on their cultural background and personal preferences.
- Remain self-aware of your facial expressions and responses. Display excitement and curiosity when patients are speaking or opening up to you.
- Smile and offer affirmative nods when attempting to convey reassurance to a client without a verbal cue.
- Always address the client, patient, or individual you are talking with by name.
- Use motivating phrases and sounds for encouragement while speaking to a client or patient.
Understanding basic attending skills can help with effective listening and communicating with others in both client and patient settings, as well as in personal settings.
Whether you are working as a counselor or looking for new ways to have your patients open up to you, the use of basic attending skills can significantly impact your reach and the overall effectiveness of your communication attempts.